I wrote about Paul Pasqualoni in this space last week, but assuming the reports are accurate and he has left the Dallas Cowboys for the Miami Dolphins -- and for their position as defensive coordinator -- I must visit the subject again.

First of all, it's fairly amazing how quickly Pasqualoni's NFL star has risen. Fired only three years ago by Daryl Gross and Nancy Cantor here at Syracuse University, Paul is now just a rung away from getting a head-coaching job in the biggest of all leagues . . . and, remember, there are only 32 of those gigs.

So, just like that, Pasqualoni -- who was the Cowboys' linebackers coach this past season -- has some very serious stature. And if he's getting the going (and exploding) rate for NFL coordinators, he's got himself an annual wage in the million-dollar (or more) range, too.

Associated Press/Kevin RivoliPaul Pasqualoni, whose last few Syracuse University teams struggled so mightily on defense, has apparently been hired as the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. Odd, huh?

Talk about remarkable resurrections. Scoot aside, Lazarus.

Remember, in Paul's last three seasons as the Orange ramrod, SU went 16-20 and did so before steadily dwindling houses. Moreover, in his final campaign, the Syracuse defense had games in which it allowed 51, 51, 34, 31, 31, 31 and 30 points. And the year before that, the Orange defense had contests in which it yielded 51, 47, 34, 34 and 30 points. And the year before that, the Orange defense had tilts in which it coughed up 49, 48, 42, 42, 41, 37, 35, 34 and 30 points.

So . . . over his final 36 games in Syracuse, Pasqualoni's teams allowed 30 points or more an astounding 21 times. This may or may not have been his fault, and it may or may not be a fair reflection on the man's grasp of defense. But those are the numbers and they were posted on Paul's watch. And guess what? It hasn't mattered at all to Bill Parcells, who has apparently hired Pasqualoni -- who was the Orange head coach for 14 campaigns, during which SU went 107-59-1 -- away from Dallas and has put him in charge of the Miami defense.

For Paul's admirers, this is happy news. Too, it gives them even more cannon fodder as they continue to wage their emotional war against Gross and Cantor, whose Pasqualoni successor, Greg Robinson, has gone 7-28 in his time on the Syracuse football throne.

Those interested in comparisons, by the way, might be interested to know that Robinson's clubs have allowed 30 or more points 17 times in his 35 games running the show. And he was once upon a time a defensive coordinator in the NFL, as well.

Anyway, it's a funny thing. Daryl has said that he felt he had little choice on the Pasqualoni front after watching the Orange lose to Georgia Tech, 51-4, in the Champs Sports Bowl (although there are other theories relative to that dismissal). And here Paul is, fairly soon after that defensive debacle, being named a defensive coordinator in the NFL under the great Parcells, himself.